Joe Biden is always good for a gaffe. From the 2008 "three" letter word "J-O-B-S" blunder to his "put y'all back in chains" remark, his embarrassing public verbal missteps are endless and often amusing. Unfortunately...they are also sometimes quite dangerous.

Tuesday, speaking at a forum for Parents magazine, the vice-president said this about guns and protecting your home:

"I said, 'Jill, if there's ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out and put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house. You don't need an AR-15--it's harder to aim, it's harder to use, and in fact you don't need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun!"

Hmm. Where to start. Well. First Joe, that's illegal in Wilmington, Delaware (where Joe and Jill live) regardless of what gun you might be using. Under Delaware law you must be in direct fear of loss of life to fire a weapon on your property. Your scenario doesn't qualify. According to defense attorney John Garey in a recent U.S. News & World Report article, under Biden's scenario Jill Biden could be charged with aggravated menacing, a felony, and reckless endangering in the first degree. Plus, it's just not a very good idea to indiscriminately fire a gun into the darkness. Just ask Oscar Pistorius.

Secondly, you are simply wrong. There is no special knowledge needed to operate an AR-15 after you're shown the basics. It's not harder to aim. It's not harder to use. And in fact, depending on the circumstances...you just MIGHT need 30 rounds to defend yourself. Who are you to say otherwise? What will you tell the family whose loved one dies for a lack of shooting back?

If Joe Biden has ever fired an AR-15 I'd be shocked. It should disturb all of us - regardless of position on gun control - that our President appointed a guy to lead his Task Force that has neither a working knowledge of the weapons he wants to ban nor an ability to communicate any better to the American people. What he said was wrong at best. Illegal at worst. Pathetic.

The Legislature of Colorado is debating some of these gun-related issues in their current session. Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton weighed in on whether there should be a ban of concealed-carry weapons on college campuses in the state. When the issue of rape, and a woman's right to self-defense came up, he said this:

"It's why we have call boxes, it's why we have safe zones, it's why we have the whistles. Because you just don't know who you're gonna be shooting at...And you don't know if you feel like you're gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone's been following you around or if you feel like you're in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop ... pop a round at somebody."

It goes without saying how insensitive - borderline cruel - Salazar's remarks were to all women, much less those who have been victimized by rape and he has since apologized. Politicians always do when foot goes in mouth like this.

What is remarkable, however, is how willing the national media seems to be to avoid reporting these ignominious comments...from Democrats, of course.

If a Republican U.S. Senator, for example, were to be caught in a sex scandal...say...in a public restroom stall while tapping his feet, I would expect the media to act accordingly and report facts, letting chips fall where they may. If we find a Democratic Senator in a similarly embarrassing sex scandal and federal investigation...this time involving underage prostitutes...I expect the same treatment.

Wouldn't you?

Dont hold your breath.

The rules simply are not the same for D's and R's amongst the media elite. Last year, Todd Akin said awful things concerning rape while running for Senate in Missouri. He was rightly outed and ostracized through press reports and lost his bid. We've hardly heard mention of insensitive remarks made by Salazar or potential illegal activity by Sen. Robert Menendez.

President Barack Obama has for weeks challenged the GOP on Capitol Hill to find a better path to cutting the deficit rather than face sequestration. This 85 billion dollar budget cut is scheduled for March 1st. Obama is on record (recently) as calling it a "horrible idea" which would be "devastating for families".

How many in the national media have reminded you it was HIS idea? As reported by Bob Woodward, Obama came up with the plan and before last fall's election publicly threatened to veto any attempt by the GOP to avoid the deadline.

The fourth estate has a vital function to inform the American people of the shenanigans their elected public servants sometimes engage in. If the rules change according to ideology is it any wonder the public thinks Republicans are out to get women and minority voters with Democrats acting as their savior. The unspoken policy of burying that which might look bad for certain political figures is alive and well. It's not good for the Republic and it is destroying the reputation of the national mainstream press.

And we are all the more ignorant because of it.

Matt Murphy is a radio talk show host in Birmingham on 100WAPI. He can be heard weekdays from 6 am to 11 am on 100.5 FM, 1070 AM or online at www.100wapi.com. Reach Matt: matt@murphyshow.com or Twitter: @mattmurphyshow